This is the revised version, enjoy!
...
Kotonami Kanae frowned down at the words of her opening narration. Despite her fervent hopes of it being shorter than all the rest, hers appeared to be the same length as the rest of the main cast's. As her character's narration was similar to Oohara-san's and it covered a similar time-frame, she'd hoped hers would be shorter, at the very least.
She was to have hers played over the beginning and end of Act Four, while Oohara-san's was Act Three. However, both episodes were set within the same time period of three months. It involved primarily her character, Akiyama Nozomi getting married to the man she loved, the character of Interpreter Tanaka. Yoneda Yumika was involved because she and Akiyama An, Nozomi's older sister, reignited their old friendship while planning the events of the wedding. The subplot in these episodes were actually about some of Yoneda Yayoi's secrets unraveling.
Some scenes would be seen in both episodes, but from different perspectives. Some secrets that Akiyama Nozomi knew about Yayoi were going to be revealed to Nozomi's older sister An, who then related it to Yoneda Yumika. Which would then relate to the Yoneda family's issues. While the structure of episodes three and four really intrigued Kanae, there was this awful narration stumbling block.
Kanae was somewhat troubled by having to perform such a speech, to be perfectly honest. She was definitely more used to expressing emotion through her features. She thought back irritatedly to the jazz scene and to when she'd been informed by Kyoko that Tsuruga's scenes had been blocked to deliberately avoid his facial features. It had been done on a whim, something about wanting to hide that Tsuruga was actually a big part of the production and to make it a good hook into episode two. And Tsuruga's ability was so well respected-for good reason-that the shooting had went off without a hitch, even as impromptu as the directing choice had been. She wanted to growl with envy over the thought.
She let out a small huff as she cast a glance over at Kyoko, who was cycling away in the exercise room their facilities had, singing softly along to her music as she did so. Kanae had already finished her required thirty minutes of cycling for the day, but had nowhere else to be, so had stuck around. I wonder if she's ever as envious of or as intimidated by that man like the rest of us. Kanae pondered this often.
She'd gotten to know Nick-san, who played Lieutenant Bill Burnham, and Miura-san who played Interpreter Tanaka-san, and all three of them essentially wondered the same thing. She had only ever eavesdropped on the other two's gossiping, naturally, as she didn't want to let on that Kyoko and Tsuruga's relationship baffled her on many levels. She was Kyoko's self-proclaimed Diana to her Anne after all, and what kind of bosom buddy would she be if that was a secret she revealed?
Kanae sighed, and realized she'd drifted away from thinking of her narration. It'd been a week since they'd gone on location and she'd yet to even schedule for time in the voice-over booth. How does one even remotely begin to narrate about surviving a bombing though? Kanae had been practicing different emotional inflections while speaking the words aloud, and etcetera, in preparation for it, but had yet to muster up the motivation or the confidence to see it through.
She frowned down at the script. She glanced at Kyoko again, but she still had her earbuds in and was singing along with her music. Well, Kanae thought, might as well try again.
"I was twelve when my whole life changed. All the memories I have left of the summer of 1944 are of fire, screaming, and hunger. My sister and I lost our father first, to the conscription. We lost our mother to hunger. We were barely scraping by on the kindness of the other homeless when the bombings began."
Kanae was intimately familiar with hunger. Her brow furrowed as she thought back over her inflection. She'd put a lot of emphasis on fire but what of the rest? Kanae tried again.
"The only memories I have left of the summer of 1944 are of…" she paused for a second, "fire, and screaming, and hunger." She had begun the sentence with a tone of despair that signaled past trauma, but she'd let her voice quiet, and darken, until hunger was spoken in one fierce chunk as she bit off the last syllable as curtly as she could. She was angry at the injustice of children having to go through what her character had to, and bitter resentment would emphasize that quite well she thought. Let's try this one more time.
Kanae stood, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it flow through to fill her chest. Then once more, she spoke, "I was twelve when my whole life changed. The only memories I have left of the summer of 1944 are of...fire, and screaming, and hunger!"
She opened her eyes, knowing a fierce glare filled her features.
A low whistle sounded from the room's doorway. She turned that direction. Nick-san and Tsuruga-san were standing in the doorway, looking like they were about to exercise, same as she and Kyoko.
"That's one hell of a piece of dialogue. Impressive." Nick-san shot her an admiring expression that had her clearing her throat a little in embarrassment. She ducked her head in thanks.
"Thank you Nick-san." Kanae saw Ren nod in agreement, a small smile on his face. Kanae's eyes narrowed as she saw this, wondering if it was somehow a challenge. But, before she could say anything, Kyoko's voice came from behind her.
"Good afternoon! Did you need us to leave?" Kyoko's expression and tone of voice held the same cheeriness it'd had all day, and wasn't anything special, but Kanae noticed Tsuruga's features softening as he glanced towards Kyoko.
"Not at all Mogami-san. There's plenty of space for all of us." With that, he brushed past Kanae and settled in on his own cycle. The pair ducked their heads together soon after, no doubt discussing the best exercising music or whatnot. Kanae settled back in at her bench, so she could continue trying to figure out her way of recitation.
When Nick-san settled in beside her, Kanae grew slightly more interested, but continued to read through the lines she'd been given. If Nick-san had a reason for sitting down beside her, she figured he'd get to it soon enough.
"What dya make of it?"
Kanae cocked an eyebrow at Nick as he turned to look at her, "I'm sorry?"
Nick tilted his head in Tsuruga and Kyoko's direction, "That. I'm sure you've got your thoughts on it. Care to share?"
Kanae shrugged, "They're a pair of weirdos. What's there to think about?"
Nick let out a small laugh, "Well, their balcony bit sure proved that. But...alright so those scenes we all have together, it's like Ren and Kyoko-san completely disappear, right? And then they're a pair of goofballs outside of work. Professional to a T, for sure. But just...look at 'em!"
Kanae glanced over, then did a double take. Had...had Kyoko dared Tsuruga to lift her like that while cycling or had he provoked her? Because there they were, laughing like a pair of fools, while Tsuruga did his best to raise Kyoko straight up, his torso twisted while cycling, with his hands sure and steady on her upper arms. Kyoko did her best to ball up and make it difficult for him, but he raised and lowered her nonetheless, and with what appeared to be very little effort.
She stared. "Ahh...sure...I have a lot of thoughts. How many hours do you have?"
Once Kyoko had proved Ren wrong, (No, he couldn't lift her more than ten times while cycling, hah! Even she knew his endurance couldn't be that great!), they exercised for a bit longer before stopping to break. They went over to where their water bottles were, and listened while Kanae recited some of her narration, while Nick expressed his various reactions to it.
After a few more moments though, Kanae blew out a breath and snapped her script shut.
"Alright, enough practice on that for today. Seriously, I can't believe they expect us to narrate those long sequences like that." She sighed in aggravation, and that had Kyoko shooting her a sympathetic smile. To Kyoko's surprise though, it was Ren that answered her.
"I agree completely, Kotonami-san. I can't say I'm looking forward to my voice-over either."
Kanae's surprise was mirrored on both Kyoko and Nick's faces.
"I thought you'd tell me to buckle-down and get it done, to be frank." said Kanae.
Ren smiled wryly, "I'm having a difficult time with mine as well. Your inflection and emotional emphasis is light years ahead of mine."
Kyoko felt some turmoil start building within her as Ren related this to them. She started thinking back to her own time in the voice-over booth, wondering if she'd missed something. Nick speaking up broke her train of thought, however.
"Well here Ren, let's hear some of yours." Nick gestured for Ren to come forward, so he had a better space to speak in other than the room he took up just leaning against the wall. Nick stared at him eagerly and Ren scowled.
"Nick, come on. I'm not very confident about this at all."
Nick waved him off, "Do it anyway. That's what you used to always tell me when I had a habit of ducking my head and trying to hide back in our early modeling days. What's good for the gander and all that." Nick snickered.
Kyoko glanced at Ren, wondering if he'd actually try it.
Ren sighed, then stood and cleared his throat.
"The first fact that brought me to life is also one that I bury, until it absolutely has to come to light. I was born out of wedlock. I am a bastard. Born to a Japanese immigrant and to the daughter of a wealthy white family. My-"
"Please, please stop. That's terrible." Kanae said, staring at Ren in disgust. Kyoko and Nick winced almost simultaneously at her coarseness.
Ren blew out an exasperated breath, "Well, what did I say? I have zero confidence of being able to pull this off. I even asked Kawaguchi-san for advice over it. I'm stuck because I keep thinking too hard about it and then I get anxious and well...it spirals from there."
The dejected expression on his face and the gloomy aura that sprang up around him, had Kyoko moving to his side and giving him a light hug.
"May I try and help?" She asked Ren, looking up into his face. Ren looked down at her and frowned.
"How?"
Kyoko paled, thinking he was angry at her presumptuousness, and began to backpedal, "I, um, of course I only ask because I thought, um, well, really." She stopped for a moment, and took a deep breath.
"Tsuruga-san. You seem so dejected right now. I don't know that I can help. But I'd like to try."
"Ah Ren, don't be such a bore, let her try. I certainly can't. The last time I monologued, my acting coach vetoed me doing it as an audition piece." Nick said, curiosity clear on his features.
Ren sighed again, "Alright. Mogami-san, what's your advice?"
"Well actually, to start with...I just have a question…"
"Go ahead," was she imagining it, or was Ren getting even gloomier? Kyoko swallowed against the lump in her throat and forged ahead.
"I'm sorry if this is an awkward question, but, you know this feeling, don't you? Everyone does, in fact. We all hide things, and for various reasons, but it's primarily because we feel shame. That very first sentence of that narration...that's clear as day. Your character is ashamed of where he came from. And you know that feeling, don't you?"
There was a moment of silence, while Kyoko stared at the ground, twiddling her forefingers together nervously.
"Holy shit." said Nick. Kyoko's head shot up to find the others staring at her in astonishment.
"I guess I do." Ren said, almost disbelieving still, that the answer could be something so simple.
Kyoko felt a moment of relief, "See? Yayoi feels this too. She is ashamed of her, uh well, what she perceives to be her weakness. So she tries to be the perfect daughter all of the time, because well, if she can't be that, she doesn't think she has anything left but weakness. You see? All it would take then, is to emphasize that."
She stared excitedly up at Ren, and when all he did was smile at her brilliantly, she blushed.
"Ahem, um anyways. What else does yours say?"
Ren rubbed his chin, "Hmm, let's see here...there's a bit more of musing on his beginnings, and of the family he's lost, how far along he's come as an officer, but then there's this one bit. It goes, 'I did my best to make my family proud. It mattered little, in the end. I lost my mother too. My grandmother no longer wishes to see my face, and I have little doubt that I have no home awaiting my return. All my efforts, they have been for nothing.'"
He stopped there, and glanced around at the reactions of those around him. Kyoko seemed impressed, Nick thoughtful, but Kotonami-san was frowning. Ren quirked an eyebrow at her.
"You seem to be displeased Kotonami-san."
Kanae huffed in annoyance, "Is that it? Where's your end? If that's it, that's just depressing."
Kyoko stiffened as she asked this, and she broke in, "Actually, I just realized something Moko-san, we were supposed to meet wardrobe ten minutes ago!"
Kanae frowned at her, "Eh? What? What are you talking about?"
"Yep! Sorry Moko-san! I forgot to tell you! They wanted another fitting for our wedding outfits for episode four. Come on!"
Kyoko gathered their bags up in a hurry, somehow also managing to grab Kanae's hand to tug her out the door. The entire sequence of events took maybe three minutes tops, and left Ren shaking his head and chuckling.
Nick snorted, "That wasn't suspicious whatsoever…"
"Ah, let it be. Mogami-san had Takashi-san's best interests at heart."
"Wait, the writer?"
"Yeah. She's only given the ending for Act Six to a few select people. Takashi-san wants to surprise everyone with the ending. My ending narration will be the end of the series, so she's protecting that scene fiercely."
Nick looked faintly impressed, "That's some dedication. Won't whoever be shooting it also know it when it's shot though?"
Ren shook his head. "Closed set that day. It'll be the last thing done. They set the scene deliberately so it wouldn't need any special permissions, or weird set dressing that would take up a lot of time to set up and take down. Simple and clean, that's how Takashi-san prefers her endings."
"What in the hell did you get me into Ren?"
Ren smirked, and Nick shared his amusement, "A damn good production."
Takimoto Misaki, in her curiosity over how close Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san were, had done a Google search. The video results had, well, varied wildly. And usually had titles like, 'LME's Manzai Duo' or 'BTS hi-jinks of Dark Moon' or 'Proof that Itsumi-chan wasn't lying' and etcetera. To be honest, each video compilation had made her let out more than a few giggles. And she seriously wanted to meet Momose Itsumi-san to hear the stories straight from the source. (Which apparently was a thing simply because the two of them had entertained Momose-san that much?). Regardless, the videos and interviews had been enlightening, to say the least.
A week and a half into them being on location, she'd had rare afternoon off. So there she was, enjoying a coffee in the town they were near, watching said videos when The Incident occurred. There she'd been, minding her own business, not realizing that there was a rise in the general hubbub in the coffee shop. That was at least, until someone yanked rather rudely on her shoulder, presumably to get her attention off her tablet, as she was also wearing earbuds at the time.
She swung an angry gaze up at the offender, then stopped, speechless at the familiar face looking so angry. She might not have been completely up to date on music trends, but even she knew Fuwa Sho when she saw him. What on earth had made him so upset?
He snapped something at her, which she couldn't hear because of, obviously, having earbuds in her ears. She pulled them out and asked faintly,
"I'm sorry?"
"That video! What is that from?!"
Misaki swallowed hard, nervous about his temper, then glanced down at what she'd been viewing. Ah, the gag-reel compilation from Dark Moon with Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san.
"Um, Dark Moon's gag-reel," came her unnerved reply.
A sneer came over his face, but before she could ask him anything further, he stomped off in a huff, slamming out the coffee-shop door. Misaki then wondered if it would be possible to actually melt into the table if only to avoid the multiple pairs of eyes swinging her way, avid curiosity alight in several faces. She hurried to stuff her tablet in her bag, and scurried out of there before anyone else could approach her.
All the way back during her walk to their Oguso location, she remained befuddled about the entire ordeal.
Kyoko hummed excitedly as she strode down the hallway to dinner. She'd just returned from meeting with the Art Director and his team because of some things she was curious about and it had been an eye-opening meeting. They were currently working through creating the credits for the series that would be at the beginning and end of each episode and she was amazed at their thoughtfulness and hard work. They'd only just story-boarded the opening credits, but if it worked out how they were planning it to, it'd be an impressive minute and a half long piece.
Kyoko sighed in contentment. She'd been meeting with various teams and departments while on location just as part of the homework tasks she'd been hoping to complete while here, and so far, she'd actually been to finish a couple assignments. Yes, it's nice to be able to multitask, she thought to herself cheerfully. And naturally, she was wanting to learn all she could. A mini-series was something she'd never done before and the process was incredibly interesting. It seemed more in-depth in regards to all of the material and make-up of it, but had a shorter time-frame in which things got done. Which tended to necessitate having an on-location shoot that was immersive and in-depth so it could be completed in that shortened time-frame. So, while she was here, she made sure to take time out of each week to try to learn something new about the production process. She had no idea when she'd next get the chance to.
She turned the corner to get to the kitchen then, and noticed a familiar face exiting the dining hall. She cocked her head in thought, but then realized that yes, she was seeing a very familiar face.
"Kinji-san?"
The man in question glanced up from his phone, trying to figure out who had called out to him. When his eyes alighted on hers, he hurried to bow.
"Kyoko-san! Good work today!"
She returned the greetings, then asked, "Sorry, but I didn't expect to see you. Don't you normally work under Director Ogata?"
Was it just her, or did he brush that off with a bit of a nervous laugh?
"Yeah, You're remembering correctly. I am very sorry for my lax behavior in Karuizawa. I still feel bad remembering that." Kinji-san raised a hand to the back of his head and laughed nervously again.
Kyoko frowned, "Well I'm certainly not still upset over that. You apologized a great deal then. But, why are you here now? Are you working for Director Shingai and Director Ogata right now?"
Kinji shook his head and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I uh, ended my contract with Director Ogata."
"...I see. Are you, uh, are you okay?" Kyoko fretted a little over his disquieting behavior. Frustration crossed Kinji's face, strong enough that it had her curiosity overpowering her worry.
"Yeah. I need more varied experience anyways. But, I didn't leave on the greatest terms. It's hard to think about."
"Er, do you want to talk about it?"
Kinji-san sighed and leaned against the hallway wall near her.
"Ah, well. It's just, well, you sure you don't mind?" Kinji-san sent her a questioning look.
"I promise, you just seem um… troubled. Sometimes it helps me to talk about stuff that troubles me." Kyoko sent him a reassuring smile.
"I appreciate you taking the time to ask. It's just a tough topic. I uh, I had a buddy accused of inappropriate behavior towards one of Ogata-san's actresses, which I knew was false." Kinji-san tapped his phone agitatedly against his leg as he explained this.
"My protestations seemed to do nothing though. The actress then accused me of trying to cover it up, which, of course, there was nothing to cover up!" He frowned.
"And then, the assistant director told the security team head to just fire my friend, because he was easily replaced and they didn't need us holding up the production." Kinji-san's lips twisted bitterly.
"I quit in protest. Though," some light returned to his eyes as he glanced back at Kyoko, "A couple others did too. I think we got the last point in on that confrontation."
Kyoko was worried anew however, after hearing all of that, "How irresponsible of that AD! Did Director Ogata do nothing? What if that person continues to cause trouble?!"
Kinji-san shrugged, "We don't know that he knew. His assistant director was in charge of managing our team. Ogata-san hadn't ever worked with that AD or with that actress, so I don't know if Ogata-san knew where to look if he even knew there was trouble."
"Well I'm very sorry to hear that something like that happened. You guys helped me so much in Karuizawa, it's terrible that someone else messed that up for you all." Kyoko stepped closer and patted him comfortingly on his arm.
"Thanks Kyoko-san. You're very sweet to care."
She smiled back up at him, "Hey, we're all in this together, right? It takes a village."
"Kyoko-san, has anyone ever told you that you have a great attitude?" asked Kinji-san, his expression looking more light-hearted now.
Kyoko let out a small chuckle, "I might have heard it once or twice. Oh, but there's a silver lining to your trouble. At least I know with you around, there's someone out there I can count on to have our backs with set security."
"Never doubt that Kyoko-san. Not when you've got me around." came the fervent response.
They parted ways soon after, Kyoko unknowing of how much her attitude had just ignited a fierce loyalty.
Fuwa Shotaro grumbled as he wrote out some lines of lyrics. He paused a moment, rereading them, then realized that the music chord progression clashed with the stanza rhythm. He balled up the piece of paper he was writing on and tossed it away with a growl of frustration. Obviously the encounter at the coffee shop had bothered him more than he'd anticipated.
He'd hightailed it out of there, and had headed back to the hotel room he'd reserved for the week. He'd not wanted such scenes to mess up the groove of his songwriting time, and it was not working. He kicked up his feet onto the couch in the room, and grumbled some more about how unfair life was. And he'd only been able to manage a week away from Tokyo too! There would be no way he could extend his trip just to make up for a day of lost work.
What to do, what to do? Sho cast his eyes about, looking for an idea of how to spark his inspiration again. He'd already tossed his guitar aside for the day, trying to avoid getting burned out on music creation. So, that was out. And nothing funny would be on TV for another hour yet. He scowled. He'd gone to the coffee shop to clear his head and it had backfired terribly.
He'd had no idea that those two could act like that together. He'd gotten an inkling of it to be sure, from that one interview. But how comfortable they were with each other was making him want to hurl. And as much as he tried to ignore it, a niggle of worry was beginning to overpower his anger over the idea.
Bastard, Sho thought viciously as the pretty-boy actor's face laughing with Kyoko came up in his mind again. What is it going to take to prove that you can't have her?! Thoughts rolled about in his mind, frustrating him to no end. Kyoko had sworn to keep aiming for her ambitions, but he didn't trust that two-bit actor as far he could throw him.
What to do, what to do?
No matter how many times he asked himself this, Fuwa Shotaro didn't unearth an answer.
Kyoko sometimes thought that to act was to live and grieve simultaneously. You lived as your character, and you grieved every time you had to let that character go. You always anticipated saying goodbye. And that feeling loomed ever nearer the closer you got to the character.
Kyoko watched, her heart aching, as Oohara-san and Sugaya sobbed as they embraced, caught up in the emotion of their characters for the scene the three of them were working on for act two. The Yoneda Okami-san and her oldest daughter were huddled near the phone in this scene, with Kyoko in the doorway, looking on. As the script had elaborated, the Okami-san had answered the call, with her oldest daughter rushing to her side, once the Okami-san had begun to cry.
Oohara-san and Sugaya-san's raw emotional expression was something wonderful to witness firsthand. Kyoko's role in the scene was to be more closed off and reserved, presumably taking to heart her family's training of always being in control of their emotions. That wasn't the truth, but that's how it would appear.
Additionally, all the Okami-san said in the scene was that they'd lost their father. No one would inform Yayoi of the state of her husband and the circumstances of her father's passing until the next day, when the Lieutenant Commander Taylor would stop by. He would be informed of the particulars of the attack by his supervising officer, and come hurrying to the inn, concerned for their well-being.
This was how episode two began. Then there would be scenes of them preparing for the funeral rites, and etcetera as Kyoko's voice over would begin. As she stood there now, her hands clasped tightly together to avoid their trembling, she couldn't help but feel the heartache.
Oohara-san and Sugaya-san were fully in that moment, wherein the actress felt how the character felt. They sobbed together, mother and daughter devastated once more by grief. It was one of the only moments in the series in which the Okami-san's mask cracked, and Kyoko was awed by how well Sugaya-san could portray it.
If Kyoko were to be perfectly honest, she felt as though she got off easy in this scene. Acting in such a fashion with a mother character, and having to express grief, well, her heart shied away from that, intimidated. And at the same time, she could feel Yayoi inside of her, bitterly resentful of not being able to honestly express her grief along with her family. Kyoko struggled to keep her resentment off her face, and to instead portray a reserved sorrow.
Her cheeks were aching from the effort by the time Director Shingai called cut. And a headache was beginning to form behind her eyes. She sighed, despairing.
Once they were cleared to step off, and Kyoko's outfit and hair were redone appropriately, Kyoko hurried to the outside set. This was partially attached to the indoor Yoneda Inn set, and to the outside garden set. And it was where the grave marker was set up for Yoneda Michitada-sensei, next to the marker of the Yoneda's only son. Kyoko had been going back and forth to all three all day, and her aching feet were happy that this was the last scene she had to do for the day.
Her opening narration covered about a week's worth of events, most of which would simply be shown visually, and not really elaborated on. And that's most of what they'd shot for the day. But, this upcoming scene she had to do was actually where the episode ended.
Kyoko forced herself into focusing on her ending narration to help her detach emotionally from the scene that they'd just done. She'd requested a five minute breather between scenes so she could simply situate herself at the grave marker, and get into the right frame of mind. When no one interrupted her as she did so, she couldn't help but feel pathetically relieved. She'd felt like she'd gone through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the day.
Kyoko sighed as she knelt, thinking back to her narration. ...be like a rocky promontory against which the restless surf continuously pounds. It stands fast while the churning sea is lulled to sleep at its feet. Be like…
"Kyoko-san?" Her eyes blinked open and she stared up at the assistant director.
"Yes?"
"May we start now?"
Kyoko nodded and waited. Shingai called for the scene to start, and still she waited, facing the grave markers. After a moment longer, she heard the crunch of boots on gravel, then a heavy tread on grass.
"Yoneda-sama." She acknowledged Lieutenant Commander Taylor addressing her. He knelt beside her, offering flowers for the marker. She took them with a small thank you.
The wind whistled by them for a moment before he spoke again.
"Any news on your husband?"
She shook her head slightly, "He remains in a coma at the hospital."
The Commander nodded, understanding. After a moment's pause, he said, "The calligraphy class the other day...I couldn't help but be surprised at how the Okami-san treated you."
Kyoko stiffened, her Yayoi wanting to move away from the warmth at her side, but at the same time wanting to huddle in closer to that warmth and to the sympathetic voice that was speaking.
"She was...displeased with my choice of character for the class."
"Natsukashii."
"Natsukashii," Yayoi murmured as well, "Something longed for, something that is missed. Something that is yearned for."
Ever so slowly, Jack Taylor raised his hand, and placed it over top of hers, "My mother would say a pain shared is a pain halved."
Yayoi's fists curled in tightly and she had to clear her throat before she could speak again.
"And your father? What would your father say?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and saw his lips twist, distressed by the question it seemed. She was surprised to hear him speak up anyway.
"Jikan ga kaiketsu shite kureru no o matsu nomi na no desu." Yayoi's eyes widened and she stared at him, but he simply returned the look, measure for measure.
"You can only wait for time to resolve the pain for you." Yayoi said, translating it back to him in his mother's tongue.
Jack's head dipped a little, acknowledging her effort. "Indeed."
"And does it? Does time resolve it?"
He let out a bitter-sounding chuckle, "I'll let you know when I know."
"Commander-san, who have you lost?"
"At times, I believe that I simply have nothing left. No parents, no other family, and friends are scarce." He offered an apathetic shrug. "Scarcer still, now."
Jack glanced back at the marker, and traced the kanji marks that made up the name of Yoneda Michitada with his eyes.
Yayoi turned her hand over, and caught the Commander's fingers with her own. Yayoi and Jack knelt at the grave markers, unmoving for a long moment. And then their hands tightened until their fingers were interwoven. Kyoko closed her eyes as the wind blew through their hair again, bringing with it the scent of the flowers he'd brought, and of the ones in the garden. The final sentences of her narration struck her anew.
Some things you read, and you feel as if the words are carved into your bones forever after. Plato's work says, 'Humans, in the beginning, must have been two beings stuck back to back, with two faces. Zeus, as punishment for their misdeeds, split them all in half. Each human would forever long for the other, and whence the two would find each other once more, there would be an unspoken understanding.'
What a cruel thought that is. Forever wondering why you feel alone, why you feel empty, never knowing that they are there unless you meet that other half again. Unmoored, and set adrift, forever yearning to come to shore.
But what if… What if you feel the winds of change?
Do you let the seas keep you adrift? Do you seek harbor? Do you find your shore?
At times, Shingai Seiji wondered how he got so lucky while at the same time, having the absolute worst timing. Certainly, he got lucky with what he was able to accomplish as a director. As one of his old mentors used to say, luck was always part of the film production process, even if you didn't recognize it at the time. Sure, expertise and taking advantage of every opportunity you got, that was by far more important. But just a little bit of luck… well, that could make an amazing production an extraordinary one.
Shingai's timing however, that could use some work. He'd simply wanted to slip Ren's photo back to him, with no one the wiser before the shoot started. The scene that happened instead though, was not one he'd anticipated. Thinking back, perhaps he should have.
They'd been closing in on two weeks down of the on-location shooting and they'd been working on the last scene of the evening. He'd been pretty pleased with how things had gone for the shooting of episode two, especially in regards to the Yoneda Family scenes, as well as the grave site scene Kyoko-san and Ren-kun had pulled off just a couple days before. And Shingai had been looking forward to seeing yet more exceptional acting from the pair.
Kyoko had been arranging some calla lily stems amongst some other floral stems within the vases on set while they'd been waiting on their other stars so they could start filming. The scene in question was set in Act Three and was just supposed to be an easy one and done thing, as it was primarily an aesthetic scene and only there to highlight time passing.
Shingai had been checking angles of cameras just to be thorough, when Ren strode onto set. Shingai had moved to intercept him, due to the whole picture incident, but Ren didn't actually seem to realize he was trying to get his attention. Instead, he just went right to Kyoko, a playful smile on his face.
Shingai's eyes narrowed. Then he slipped behind a camera, and went ahead and made sure to switch it to recording. If Kurosaki spoke the truth, Shingai might just be able to capture a scene he might not otherwise get. The light streaming in through the window was absolutely begging to be used in any case.
He watched as Ren took a quick glance around the room, checking that no one was paying him any attention. There was his good ol' trusty luck playing a part, ensuring Ren didn't see him behind the camera. Ren slipped in close behind Kyoko, and held his hand just high enough up for a ribbon to catch her eye, as well as Shingai's. Hmmm…Interesting. Shingai mused.
Kyoko tilted her head, presumably as confused as Shingai was. "What's this about? And shouldn't you be taking your mark over there?"
Shingai was relieved that he could hear most of what she said, but shifted to the camera they were using for detail shots, as that was set up nearer to Kyoko. That way, he could pretend to check the angles of it while he eavesdropped.
Ren looked down at her, a bit smug from what Shingai could tell, and jostled the ribbon in his hand to draw her eye to it again, "Someone forgot something in hair and makeup. Tsk, tsk."
Kyoko shot him a playful scowl, "Then they would have stopped me before I got on set and fixed it then."
Ren sighed in mock pity, "Someone did try to stop you. I was informed that Yayoi-sama didn't like the color. I wonder what happened there…"
Shingai smothered a smile as Kyoko blushed. There was no doubt in his mind of the probability of her having been so in character in that moment that she might have brushed the poor hair assistant off.
"Ehehe… ah, well, I can certainly go apologize. If you'll excuse me.'' She stepped backwards, but Ren didn't move. This resulted in Kyoko's back being pressed to Ren's front and Shingai's eyebrows shot upward in surprise that Ren would try such a thing, on set no less. Terrible timing, that.
"Tsuruga-san, excuse me."
He smirked down at her, "Excuse you indeed. But, there's no need for you to go haring off, I made your apologies."
She stepped to the side, and cocked her head, confused.
"Thank you…?" Kyoko's voice trailed off questioningly. Shingai was yet again surprised as Ren sighed, and simply adjusted her positioning so she faced the vase again.
"I was teasing you Mogami-san." Shingai had to strain his ears to hear this, as Ren pitched his voice lower as he stepped in closer to her.
"I'm just as capable as putting this in as they are, so I offered to do it. Ah, there we go, there's a bobby pin."
Kyoko placed her hands back on her stems, maybe to make it appear as if she was simply focused on her work, Shingai wasn't too sure. Regardless, he recognized the effort she was putting in to appear so calm and collected. He'd seen it before between these two. He blessed his luck that he'd been able to catch this. When did one ever get the chance to catch a moment so adorable as a young man adjusting the hairstyle of a young woman?
After a quiet moment, Kyoko cleared her throat, "Going into hair and makeup along with casting Tsuruga-san?"
It was a weak jest, but Shingai silently praised her effort. He knew he wanted to see what would happen and how Ren would respond. Though, I do feel guilty for eavesdropping. Only a little bit though; it was up to them to maintain professional boundaries as they wished while on set.
Ren let out a small laugh, "Nah. My mom did like it when I played with her hair though. So, I've got some practice."
Kyoko stilled, her hands fluttering to the sides of her vase. Shingai might have been imagining it, but he was pretty sure that a little two inch by three inch picture was burning a hole in his pocket. Fond remembrance threaded through Ren's words as his hands fed the ribbon into the hairstyle they'd put her in for the scene.
"Mom has so much hair, and it's so curly. A brighter blonde than mine even. You'd automatically think she was a Queen Fairy if you ever saw her. I know that for a fact."
Kyoko's eyes closed, and Shingai winced. He'd, well, he'd had his guesses, but not anything that had been confirmed until just now as to what had really been behind that one fight they'd had. Kyoko's face was pained, just as it had been then. It was easy to connect the dots with the information Shingai had now.
It was Kyoko's turn to surprise him though. Shingai watched, quietly touched to see such a scene, as Kyoko reached a hand back to squeeze Ren's wrist. The softness in her expression as she glanced back at him was deeply tender.
"I'd love to meet her. You must love her so much."
The raw, vulnerable emotion between the two of them made Shingai blink rapidly, and glance away. I have poor timing, but great luck, he thought with a small sigh. Then, because he couldn't help himself, he stayed where he was, glanced back over at the pair, and fiddled with a lens filter as he listened some more.
"She'd love to meet you too." came Ren's quiet reply. After a moment, Ren took Kyoko's hand in his and returned the soft squeeze. He then curled a bit of her hair behind her ear and smiled down at her.
"There. Perfect. You're a vision of indescribable beauty Yoneda-sama." he bowed playfully.
Kyoko rolled her eyes, "You should know by now that your flattery is wasted on me."
Ren gazed at her with an impossibly gentle look on his face, "The more you tell me not to say nice things to you, the more convinced I am that you need to hear them."
He bowed again, and dropped her hands, then stepped away off to his mark, leaving Kyoko there, as stunned as Shingai had ever seen her. He studied his two stars carefully, unsure if he should even try to approach Ren. But, as he saw a couple camera grips headed his way, he pushed the thought aside. He'd have to wait for a better time.
He instructed his crew on what to do, but went to the camera he'd turned on. He paused its recording, taking a moment to rewind the footage and hitting pause again.
That moment where Kyoko had reached for Ren as she'd looked over her shoulder, and the tenderness they'd shared, with the warm golden light of the sunset coming in, it was a beautiful moment. Shingai knew he should probably get rid of the footage, but he also knew he wouldn't. His artist's heart simply couldn't allow such a beautiful image to be buried, never again to see the light of day.
Quickly, before someone could ask him why he hadn't called for action yet, he captured the shot with his phone camera, and then played the footage back so they were ready to roll again. He could figure out later if it could be useful. As it stood now, it could be his little secret.
Kijima Hidehito hummed tonelessly as he tapped a finger against the restaurant table. He was perusing his Instagram on his phone with his other hand, when he came across a favorite image of his taken at the Dark Moon Wrap Party. He, Airi-chan, Itsumi-chan and Kyoko-chan had been grouped together at one point and some lucky duck had captured the moment in time.
He sighed, somewhat mournfully. Six months past the party, and he had yet to land another job with ladies as lovely as the ones he'd been around on Dark Moon. And certainly not in the quantity they'd been in that series. Not for lack of trying, to be sure. Which was why he was stuck on location now instead of hitting the party scene in Tokyo. But, he thought as he checked the time, he had gotten lucky tonight. He just so happened to be in a town close to where a couple others were on location and they'd been able to arrange a meet-up.
"Kijima-kun!" His head popped up, his eyes scanning the entrance of the restaurant.
"Airi-chan, Itsumi-chan!" He held his arms wide as they met a little past the table he'd reserved so they all could huddle into a three way hug. He inhaled blissfully as he smelled the enticing scents of lavender and vanilla. Yes, this, this is the best. Before the hug could go on too long to be appropriate, he stepped back and eagerly asked how the girl's days had gone.
They chatted quietly as they settled into their booth, before the restaurant door opened again, catching Airi-chan's attention.
"Kotonami-san! Over here!" Kijima appreciated the inclusion of another lady. Kotonami settled in next to Oohara-san.
"Pardon the intrusion," the girl murmured.
"Kotonami Kanae right?" Itsumi-chan piped up.
Kotonami Kanae nodded stiffly.
"I thought so! You got Kyoko-chan that adorable makeup set for her birthday. I got my little sister the same one!"
"Oh it was so embarrassing trying to find it, wasn't it?!" Itsumi-chan and Airi-chan giggled quietly at the aggravation that came over Kotonami-san's face.
Airi-chan cocked her head in question once she stopped giggling though, "Weren't Ren-kun and Kyoko-san coming with you?"
Kanae shrugged, "Their scene ran a little late and our director said he'd let them know I went ahead."
"So you're all working together right now?" Kijima asked, curious.
"Ah, yes, the cast is pretty big for this, so I got lucky!" said Airi-chan brightly.
"Ahhh, you sure did. I'm just here for a PV for a couple days," sighed Itsumi-chan.
"And I'm only guest-starring in a piece," Kijima said, thinking back once more to the good old Dark Moon days.
Kotonami-san spoke up then, "Well, even if I'm here only because you wanted to be polite, I still appreciate you taking the time to invite me."
Airi-chan waved her off, "It's not a problem at all. I always like being friends with my coworkers. Makes acting way easier if I like who I'm with."
Itsumi-chan nodded along sagely, then scooched closer to Kotonami-san, while Kijima looked on, amused, "But while we have you here, give us the low-down on Kyoko-chan and Tsuruga-san! You're all with LME right?"
Kotonami-san snorted, "I thought you were the one that always talked about them being a manzai duo. Yeah, they're basically like that all the time, except, irritatingly enough, while working."
Itsumi-chan laughed, "That's true. Well, but surely they've done something worth gossiping about recently?"
With a voice wry with irony, Kotonami-san replied, "How many hours do you have?"
That startled a laugh out of Airi-chan, "Ohmygosh, I thought Nick-san was joking. You really said that to him last week sometime, didn't you?"
Kotonami-san nodded, a sly smirk pulling at her lips. Kijima settled back in his chair, entertained by the trio exchanging stories. After a few minutes though, something pricked his interest.
"Ah, that name, I know it. I modeled with him. Noa Mano? He's with you guys?"
Airi-chan nodded, "Yep. Ren-kun recruited a few people he knew while he was helping with casting with this."
Kijima couldn't help but be impressed, "Huh. Ren-kun sure is putting his all into this. Well, I guess it makes sense to get experienced at that while you're still young. Especially if you want to produce someday."
Kotonami-san's voice was thoughtful, "Do you think he'll go that way?"
"Hmmm, he could do so pretty easily I think," Kijima mused, "His fame has garnered him the right kind of attention, and not a small amount of wealth either. It's quite plausible for him I think, if he plays it right."
The other three pondered this for a bit. However, they were shortly distracted from it by a familiar laugh and a scolding voice, "...promise me that! While Director Konoe means well, you have to promise me that he will not tell!"
"Cease, princess, cease! You've plead your case! I promise!"
Kijima glance up, curious, and the girls twisted around to see a huffy Kyoko near the entrance, waiting for a maitre'd to attend to her and a snickering Ren.
A magnificent scowl came over Kyoko's face, "Ren. I'm serious. I don't care how funny you think it'll be to see everyone's reaction." She crossed her arms and jutted her chin outwards as she narrowed her eyes at him.
Tsuruga Ren held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, lips still twitching in amusement, "I solemnly swear to keep this secret until my dying day."
They all stared for a moment, but the tableau was interrupted by the hostess hesitantly approaching them.
"Ah, customer-sans...umm…"
Kyoko looked around Ren in some surprise, "Ah, my apologies! Our reservation is under Kijima. It's a party of six."
The hostess nodded, relieved, and showed them where they were at. Kijima smothered his own chuckles at the embarrassed behavior of Kyoko as they strode towards them.
"Oh um I'm so sorry. We were held up. Thank you Moko-san, for making sure to let us know your plans to go ahead." Kyoko tucked herself into the big corner booth next to Kotonami-san while Ren sidled in next to Kyoko, and the other three shifted down further.
"Hope you all don't mind some French cuisine. I found this little place and they have some great wine." Kijima said as everyone finished their greetings and settled in.
Kyoko laughed nervously, "So long as they still serve water, it's fine with me."
"Sorry, you'll be drinking spit of frog," Ren teased, glancing down at her. Then a moment later, "Oof! Did you have to kick so hard?"
Kyoko smiled sweetly while Airi-chan and Itsumi-chan shared an amused look and Kotonami-san blew out an aggravated breath
Ten minutes later, drinks were all sorted out, and menus put away after ordering. The girls began to exchange various work stories and Kijima sighed in pleasure as he could still smell the faint hint of vanilla and honey wafting over from Airi-chan. He'd struck out with her once, but maybe, the more he got to know her, the better chance he'd have of landing a date with her.
As he was happily considering this option, Kijima noticed Ren ever so slowly settling back into the booth, and propping his arm up on the back of it. He did it so cautiously, Kijima couldn't help but watch him covertly, intrigued by the gesture. This paid off a few moments later, when he caught Ren's hand tangling slightly with a lock of Kyoko's hair.
Kijima waited for a little longer, but when Kyoko didn't even react, he couldn't help but be impressed. Kudos to you Ren-kun, I didn't think you'd ever get close enough to do that. Kyoko was always so proper and professional, he thought Ren would just be doomed for a couple years of unrequited feelings. Looks like you've moved quite far along. Would it be appropriate for him to offer his congratulations?
Kijima pondered this throughout most of their meal. But as talk rolled around to what he'd been doing, the less he thought of it and the more he enjoyed the chance to have dinner with some people he'd truly missed being around.
"Oh, oh, idea! I want a new profile pic for my twitter! Here, let me out a second." Itsumi-chan piped up with this halfway through them finishing dessert. Or in Kotonami-san's and Ren's case, their coffee. Kijima and Airi-chan moved to let her out and she studied the table for a second.
"Ok, Kijima-san, take your hand and make an L shape with your fingers for me."
Kijima was a bit bewildered, but did so.
"Alright!, Kotonami-san, come out of the booth now, then Kijima-san, Kyoko-chan and Ren-kun, squish together for me. Oh, and here." She stepped forward to arrange Kyoko's and Ren's hands the way she wanted them.
"Alright Oohara-san, can you slide in next to Tsuruga-san and make a V?"
Airi-chan chuckled, "Smartly done Itsumi-chan."
Itsumi shot her a smile in return before she said, "Alright Kotonami-san. I want to send this to Director Ogata too, so this should just be us, do you mind taking the picture?"
"Not at all. In fact, I'm grateful to not take part in this embarrassment whatsoever." Kotonami-san muttered in an undertone as she held up Itsumi-chan's phone. A ripple of laughter flowed the group-now including Itsumi-chan-that were sitting in the booth.
"Never change Kotonami-san," said Ren teasingly, and promptly got a glare for his trouble.
And with Itsumi-chan holding up the E, Kanae snapped the picture.
After studying it, she spoke, "Could be worse," She then handed the phone back to Itsumi-chan.
They all crowded around, and the rest of the people in the picture then demanded to be sent it immediately. Once that was done, Itsumi-chan went ahead and posted it to twitter, tagging Director Ogata's account. Their hands spelled out LOVE, with Ren and Kyoko's hands forming a heart for the O. The hashtags were short and sweet: 'sendingyoulove' and 'darkmoonlove'.
Airi-chan smiled as she looked over Itsumi-chan's shoulder, "That was very sweet of you. Great idea."
Kijima couldn't help but agree.
Ren was the first to notice the familiar face.
The group he was with had gone ahead and decided to escort Momose-san to where her manager had decided to go for drinks, as she and her manager had carpooled that night. As Kijima-san had put it, lovely young ladies deserved to be escorted about the town on occasion.
They had already gone a block or two, and Ren walked besides Kyoko in quiet pleasure, reinforcing his self-control so his fingers wouldn't reach out to tangle with hers. As he was debating whether or not to risk interrupting Kyoko's conversation with Momose-san by teasing her again, he saw him. Fuwa Shotaro was sitting outside a café, recognizable even with his oversized hat pulled low on his face.
It was like a shock of cold water to the face, and panic started seeping into his good mood and overpowering it. Without him even realizing he'd thrown caution to the wind, Ren snuck an arm around Kyoko's waist. At least, he did so until Kyoko paused in their stroll, looked at his arm, then stared at him in confusion.
"Tsuruga-san?"
Sweat began to form on the back of his neck as he realized he'd just shot himself in the foot. He'd been hoping to speedily continue their walk without Kyoko noticing Fuwa, and now here he was looking like the dumbass he'd been trying to not be.
"Ah…sorry to interrupt but, uh, that dress there, doesn't that remind you of your Hime-sama?" He lied as smoothly as he could, pointing out a dress in a shop window that seemed to be made of a pretty, blue, gauzy material. Said shop was conveniently located on the opposite side of the street from where Fuwa was at.
Itsumi blinked at the pair of them in surprise, "Who's Hime-sama now?"
Kyoko, who'd been gazing in admiration at the dress, spoke up, "Oh, Saishi Style has me as a model now, and I named my model persona Hime-sama. Oh, Ren, she'd love this!"
Ren was relieved that he'd been able to play that off.
"Hate to say it, but yeah, nice eye Tsuruga-san." said Kanae.
Ren's features filled with amusement, "Give me some credit Kotonami-san. I know this girl's taste. Besides, don't you hate frivolous stuff? I'm happy to indulge her, and you get to avoid it. We all win here."
Oohara-san and Momose-san exchanged a knowing glance, while Kijima stared, bemused. Kanae said, "Well, I suppose that's true."
Kyoko remained fascinated by the dress in question, but the group was able to successfully continue to walk the block they had yet to go. Ren was about to breath a relieved sigh at avoiding the whole thing when he heard it.
"Hey! Yeah! You two! What are you doing here?!"
Ren's fiercely muttered, "Oh goddamnit." drew Kyoko and Kanae's attention, while the others just looked around in confusion. Momose-san was the first to realize.
"...Oh. Oh dear." She and Oohara-san glanced at each other, then at Kyoko in concern. Kyoko frowned at them, shot a quick glance at Ren, then peered around his shoulder. She stiffened as she caught sight of Fuwa across the street.
He was striding toward them, then jogged across when traffic cleared, a fierce scowl on his face.
"What are you even doing here!?"
Kijima appeared to be the only one out of the loop, "Look kid," he began patronizingly, "We can sign some autographs or whatever, but not with that attitude."
Ren was the only one to catch the absolutely horrified delight on Kyoko's face as she smothered her response and heard what Kijima said.
Fuwa shot Kijima a nasty look, "I wasn't talking to you, you ass."
He strode nearer to Kyoko and grabbed her arm, "What are you doing here?!"
Ren shot him a glare, but Kyoko snatched her arm free, "I don't have to answer that! As a matter of fact, what are you doing here?"
Ren flexed his fingers, and curled them into fists, then relaxed them again. He was doing his best to keep a cool head, but the many instances of his firsthand accounts of how Fuwa and Kyoko interacted, had his worry being compounded with frustration.
"I'm here for work! And clearly you are not," He leveled the group with a sneer that had more than a few hackles rising.
Kanae was the first to speak, as Kyoko appeared to be speechless with anger for the moment.
"You're working? At night? With no crew? Don't make me laugh," Kanae said flatly. "You're probably just here to ditch work, like the brat you are."
Fuwa's aggravation seemed to increase, "It's called songwriting!"
"It's called, be a little more respectful to your elders," said Oohara-san witheringly.
Kyoko's mouth dropped open in shock and Ren had to struggle to not laugh at the look on Fuwa's face. By far, this was the best way this could have possibly gone. His temper was practically non-existent now as he saw their coworkers defending Kyoko against Fuwa.
Fuwa's scowl deepened, but he turned back to Kyoko without addressing the others, "So that's how it is. Others have to fight your battles for you? You can't even answer what I've asked?"
"That is quite enough," Kyoko's voice was quiet, but no less sharp for the fury that unfurled over the words that she spoke. The rest of them stared at her, mildly concerned, but she simply said, slightly disgusted,
"This isn't a battle Shotaro. This was you interrupting my night out with my friends. And for what?"
There was a telling silence.
"What is the excuse this time Shotaro?" She folded her arms and stared him down. If Ren had ever witnessed Fuwa being sheepish, it might have been just then.
Fuwa tried to speak, shut his mouth, then opened it and tried one more time, utterly bewildered, which entertained Ren to no end.
"Well, shouldn't I get to know what you're up to? You're supposed to be working your ass off to beat me right? You don't have time to...to…" he cast his gaze about the group of them, and then noticed Ren's hand on Kyoko's waist. Fuwa shot him an expression of absolute loathing that Ren did his best to return with the calmest face he could muster.
Fuwa sneered, "You don't have time to go playing around with trash."
Ren wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure the shocked gasps came from Momose-san and Oohara-san.
Kyoko seemed to be overcome with fury, too much to speak. Fuwa seemed satisfied to see that and said,
"Or is this one of those times you're taking advantage of your guiding light, as you said you would? Are you learning as much as you can from him?" His tone of voice was particularly vicious, and Ren had swallow back furious words as Kyoko went completely still.
"Kyoko," Ren ducked down so he could whisper in her ear in English, his grip tightening on her waist, "Kyoko, do not let him get to you. What do stupid boys want? To get away with this kind of bullshit. Do not let him."
As Ren caught sight of the look in her eyes, he straightened back up, a slow smile beginning to pull at his lips. He smirked at Fuwa, who seemed disconcerted to see it.
"Shotaro." Kyoko's voice was as viciously sweet as Ren had ever heard it. "Did you really come all the way over here and cause such a ruckus because you were concerned about me?"
Fuwa blushed to the roots of his hair and opened his mouth to speak, but Kyoko continued.
"Because, as you can see, I have no need for your concern." She smiled at him, letting him bluster about for a moment. It quickly became clear that he had no rebuttal for this.
"Shotaro, if that's all you needed, I'm going to return to visiting with my friends. After all, we wouldn't want to keep you from your work. That limelight is hard to keep you know, you'll need to do your best to make sure you don't lose it." With one last mocking smile, Kyoko turned on her heel, and strode away from him, the others falling in line behind her.
There was a lingering silence that didn't break until they reached the bar they were to meet Momose-san's manager at.
"Damn, Kyoko. Damn." Kanae's voice was admiring as she broke the silence. Ren let out a loud laugh and picked Kyoko up in a huge hug and spun her around. Kijima-san, Oohara-san and Momose-san looked on, entertained by such behavior.
"Princess, that was a goddamn delight to witness. But tell me truthfully, how did it feel?" Ren let her down as he asked this, enjoying the beautiful flush suffusing Kyoko's features.
Kyoko grinned back at the group around her, "Really, really nice."
Oohara-san and Itsumi-san both let chuckles out at that, and reached around her to tuck her into a three way hug.
"That nasty anteater got what he had coming, huh?" said Oohara-san, her tone slightly teasing.
"You can say that again," Itsumi-san answered her as they released Kyoko. Kijima let out a loud sigh.
"Boy have I missed this."
A ripple of amusement went through everyone, Kanae even softening enough to smile at Kyoko and give her a little hug. Soon after though, it was time to start saying their goodbyes as everyone went their separate ways, chattering excitedly about when they could meet up again.
As Kanae and Oohara-san were distracted by talking to Itsumi-san, Ren felt a hand creep into his own, and tighten, the fingers interlocking.
He looked down, not surprised to see a blushing Kyoko.
It was softly said, but that just made it sweeter to hear, "Thank you Ren."
Not caring what the others thought if they saw, he ducked slightly to press a kiss to her hair, and whispered back, "It was my absolute pleasure."
...
Edited for clarity and whatnot. Thanks for reading.
-artsy